Product description

The thrilling second installment in Richelle Mead's "Vampire Academy "spinoff series--and a #1 New York Times Bestseller--now in paperback
"Sydney Sage is an Alchemist, one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the worlds of humans and vampires. They protect vampire secrets--and human lives."" "Sydney would love to go to college, but instead, she's been sent into hiding at a posh boarding school in Palm Springs, California--tasked with protecting Moroi princess Jill Dragomir from assassins who want to throw the Moroi court into civil war. Formerly in disgrace, Sydney is now praised for her loyalty and obedience, and held up as the model of an exemplary Alchemist. But the closer she grows to Jill, Eddie, and especially Adrian, the more she finds herself questioning her age-old Alchemist beliefs, her idea of family, and the sense of what it means to truly belong. Her world becomes even more complicated when magical experiments show Sydney may hold the key to prevent becoming Strigoi--the fiercest vampires, the ones who don't die. But it's her fear of being just that--special, magical, powerful--that scares her more than anything. Equally daunting is her new romance with Brayden, a cute, brainy guy who seems to be her match in every way. Yet, as perfect as he seems, Sydney finds herself being drawn to someone else--someone forbidden to her. When a shocking secret threatens to tear the vampire world apart, Sydney's loyalties are suddenly tested more than ever before. She wonders how she's supposed to strike a balance between the principles and dogmas she's been taught, and what her instincts are now telling her. Should she trust the Alchemists--or her heart?

Author information

Richelle Mead is the author of the international #1 bestselling Vampire Academy series and its spinoff series, Bloodlines. A lifelong reader, Richelle has always had a particular fascination with mythology and folklore. When she can actually tear herself away from books (either reading or writing them), she enjoys bad reality TV, traveling, trying interesting cocktails, and shopping for dresses to wear on tour. She is a self-professed coffee addict, works in her pajamas, and has a passion for all things wacky and humorous. Originally from Michigan, Richelle now lives in Seattle, Washington, where she is hard at work on her next Bloodlines novel. Visit www.RichelleMead.com to find out more.

Customer reviews

My biggest complaint about this book was the tortuous (to my heart) ending, and the lack of updates on my beloved Rose. And since Richelle has done this to me before, leaving me hanging and wanting so much more, I really expected it, though I have some awesome things to hold on to until Indigo Spell is released. As far as Rose, I know that this series isn't above her, it's about Sydney and Jill, along with smoking hot Adrian, but through Dimitri I hoped we might get a small guest appearance or something... But, that might just make it even harder to let go.
So, notice that my biggest complaints were really praises for Richelle's writing? Yeah, safe to say that I totally enjoyed this book. Sydney is such a different main character from Rose, but she is still compelling, and it is such character growth to watch her struggle against what she has been taught her whole life and what she sees with her eyes, and feels with her heart. Are humans really capable of being as evil as vampires? Would you take a room of vamps that you trust over a group of humans that seem to be out to get you? Her answers were once crystal clear, but now, more and more she is changing.
It is really hard to write the review without spoiling anything, but I loved to watch Sydney and Adrian. Getting the closer view into Adrian and what he is dealing with is exactly what I wanted at the end of Vampire Academy, and this series is delivering. His one-liners are fantastic, and we get to see a deeper and more intense side of him that VA only hinted at.
I love Richelle Mead's young adult books (I haven't tried the adult ones yet, so can't speak for them), and she does not disappoint with this fast paced, page turning sequel and spin off.